Traité de l'education économique des abeilles, où se trouve aussi leur histoire naturelle : Avec figures

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K.ThcDrone or Maie Bec .
B .T/ie Queen or F e maie S ce .
C . The nwrkin^^ee o/no S ex .
Jy.Front ofa Single 3 ojc .
Y..Back .

G G G . Three Bûxej fomed .
H .T/teTape n'fiich tie.f llteEnd3oard^.
I . ThcTin Jtoppm^ Itjc Communicalfon .
K . TlieBee^ iffuiri^^ ûuto/ t/te Hox

à> l'c ta lien awai/ .
L . T/iel. ûndtns: Jioard .

Collatéral B E e-B o x e s.

Or, a New, Eafy, and Advantageous

M E T H o D

o F

Managing Bées.

In which
Part of the Honey is taken avvay, in an
eafy and pleafant Manner, without de-
flroying, or much difturbing the Bées ;
early Swarms, if defired, are encou-
raged, and late ones prevented.

"S^y STEPHEN WHITE, M. A.

Redlor of Holton in Siiffolk.

Sic Vo^ jatn Vobis.
Pauperis efl numerare Pecus. Ova^.^^lj^f^ivi

L O N D O N,

Printed, and fold by Lockyer Davis, and Charles
Reymers againft Grays-Inn-Gaîe^ Ho'b^urn.
MD C C L V I.

THE

INTRODUCTION.

rr\ HE firft Inventer o( the Oc-
1 tag;onal Bee- Boxes, which we
now and then meet with in the Gar-
dens of the Curions, was yol)n Gedde
Efq. He pubHfhed his Invention, in
the Year 1675, having obtained the
King's Patent for the famé, and Hke-
vt^ife the Approbation of the Royal
Society. Thefe Boxes appear, at fîrfl:
Sight, to be very expenfive and un-
wieldy : and every one, I beUeve, who
has experienced them, has found, to
his Coft, that thcy anfwer only o?ie
of the E77ds the ingénions Gentle-
man propofcd by them, and which,
A 2 as

149031

iV INTRODUCTION.
as his principal End, he fets forth in
the Title Page of his E?tgIiJIj Apiary^
vdz. To jree the Ow7iers from the
great Charge ajid Trouble that attends
the Swarpimg of Bées : that is, in
other Words, to deprive the poor Bee-
Mafter, of ail the Profit, and one of
the higheft Pleafures he can expeâ:,
from thefe ufeful and delightful In-
feéls. This End, if it be a defirable
one, every Bee-Miftrefs may obtain,
vvithout beating her Brains, but by
only ordering her Artificer to pro-
vide a large Quantity of Straw, and
make her Hives to contain two Bufhels
a-piece.

Many Years after this, Mr. JVar-
der of Croydon publifhed his true A-
mazo7is^ or Monarchy of Bées, vvhich
has gone through no lefs than Eight
Editions. Fie direds von, hovv to
make the famé Sort of Boxes, with
I fome

INTRODUCTION. v

fome, not very material Altérations.
He calls this a ncw Difcovery and
Improvement, and recomniends it
likewifeto his Reader, by telling him,
itw'ûlpreve77i Swarming.

In the Approbation of the Royal
Society, prefixed to Mr. Gedcles Book,
we are told by the Gentlemen of that
illuftrious Body, that in the Treatifes,
relating to the Management of Bées,
we find feveral Draughts, of difierent
Bee-Hives, to the Intention of 'ùre-
ve?2ti7jg Swarming^ but that none of
thofe Ways hâve proved fo effectuai,
as the Method prefcribed by Mr.
Gedcle.

Biefs me ! (hâve I often faid to iny-
felfj why fo much Pains, to hinder
me from increafnig my fmall Stock ?
Why fhouldthefe Gentlemen deprive
me of a Pleafure I fo ardentîy look
and long for every Spring, and which

I am

vi INTRODUCTION.

I am more delighted with, than ail
the other Pleafures of the Montîi of
MajP Can the whole Brute Créa-
tion afford a more entertaining Scène,
than to fee a vafl: Multitude of thefe
diminutive People, merely for the
Good of the State they are leaving
for ever; to fee them, I fay, with a
cheerful Alacrity, abandoning their
native Country, to go and fettle in a
f oreign Région, they knovv not where ;
quitting ail their Treafures, which
they hâve laboured fo hard to pro-
cure, and fought fo valiantly to dé-
fend, and going to feek an empty
Floufe, not knowing whether they
fliall be able to find one. Behold
my little Emigrants ! in Spight of ail
our Swarm-Preve?UerSy behold, I fee
a Cloud of them, overfhadowing my
Garden ! See them hurrying back-
vi^ards and forwards, exulting in the

Prefence

INTRODUCTION. vii

Prefence of their Sovereign, obferv-
ino; lier Motions, and waiting her
Commands, while She, with the
double Anxiety of a Queen, and a
Parent, is looking for a convenient
Branch, on yonder Efpaliers, where
She mav reft a-while, and confult
what Courfe She is to take, and
whither She fliall lead her loyal and
beloved Subjecls.

But I muft recall my licentious
Imag-ination : I muft leave thefe Ec-

o

ftafies, how pleafing foever, and con-
lider, that while I am tranfported,
the courteous Reader is unedified. It
is Time he fhould know, y et I muft
detain him a little longer, before he
does know, w^hat he is to find in
the followins: Sheets.

The Smallnefs of my Cure, has
afforded me more leifure Hours, than

ufually

viii INTRODUCTION.

ufually fall to the Share of a great
Part of my Brethren. Many of thefe
Hours, during aimoft the whole
Space of a now declining Life, hâve
been employed in my Bee-Garden ;
with as much Innocence, I hope,
and a great deal more to my Tafle
and Entertainment, than if they had
been fpent, with a Gun and Pointer
in the Fields, or, in my Parlour,
with a Pack of Gard s. Thefe faflii-
onable Amufements (efpecially the
latter) can afford Httle Entertainment
to a contemplative Mind: But the
furveying the Works of Nature, par-
ticularly the Inftinds and PoHty
of many Hving Créatures, and the
wonderful Methods they make ufe
of, for their Suftenance and Safety,
will give a real and high DeUght to a
rational Soûl : and as it is next to im-

poffible,

INTRODUCTION, ix

poffible, to turn our Thoughts to
the Obfervation of thefe Créatures,
without lifting them up, at the famé
Time, in Adoration of Him vvho
formedthem, this will, in amanner,
fandify our Pleafures, and turn even
our Diverjions^ into a Sacrifice to
our Maker.

Majtifold aî'e the Worh of God^
and 171 Wifdom bas he made them alL
But if my Partiality for my favourite
Infeds, does not very much deceive
me, their indefatigable Induftry, their
Loyalty to their Queen, the geome-
trical Accuracy of their Combs, ^c.
are Wonders, not to be met with, in
any of the innumerable Beafts, Birds,
or Infeds, that are upon the Face of
this Earth.

My Fondnefs for thefe little Ani-
mais, foon put me upon endeavour-

B ing,

X INTRODUCTION.

ing, if poflible, to fave them from
Fire and Brimflone. I thought I
had Reafon to be content, to fhare
their Labours, for the prefent, and
great Reafon to rejoice, if I could,
at the famé Time preferve their Lives,
to work for me another Year. The
main Drift therefore of ail my Ob-
fervations and Experiments has been,
to difcover an eafy and cheap Method,
fuited to the AbiUties of the common
People, of taking away fo miich Ho-
ney as can well be fpared, without
deftroying or ftarving the Bées : And
by the famé Means to eiîcotirage^ ra-
thcr than prevent Swarming, I mean
firft, and feafonable Swarms ; for fé-
cond, and late Swarms, being Httle
worth, and very prejudicial to the
old Stocks, thcy ought, and in the
Method I propofe, may eafily be pre-
I vented.

INTRODUCTION. xi

vented. This Dcfîgn, I can afliire
every Lover of Bées, and every Lo-
ver of himfelf, /. e. of his own In-
terefî:, vvith ail the Confidence of a
Projedlor, I hâve, after a great many
unavailing Experiments, at laft fully
accompliilied.

jl don't vvonder, that Kpicwruss

Atoms, without either Hand or

Head to direct them, lliould be fo

long in forming the Univerfe, and

fhould make fo many vvrong and

imperfecl Worlds, before they hit

on a right one, finte my Deal

Boards, much iîtter Materials for

the Purpofe, than Atoms, affifted

vvith ail the Mechanical Skill, that

I, and my ingénions Garpenter, are

Mafters of, hâve been jumbled toge-

ther, in fuch a Variety of vvrong

and ineffedliial Forms, and been

B 2 almoft

xii INTRODUCTION.

almoft Forty Years in making a Bee-
Box ; fuch a plain and limple Bee-
Box, as y ou will fee in my firfl: Chap-
ter.

A New,

A New, Eafy, and Advantageous

M E T H O D

O F

Managing Bées.

c H A p. I.

DireEîio?ts how to make a fingle Box,

IT may be made of Deal, or any
other Boardsj vvell feafoned, that
are not apt to warp or fplit. The
Boards fliould be near an Inch thick.
Let it be eig-ht Inches and haif in
Height and Breadth, every Way,
meafuring vvithin, and including the
Space the thin Boards take up at the
Ends, as if there were no fuch

Boards.

D. H. HILl UBRÀRY
North Carc'Ina State CôWetiè

( 14 )
Boards. Witîi thefe Dimeniions, it
will contain about a Peck and one
Pint. The Box is in Figure Four
Square. The Front Part, muft hâve
a Door eut in the Middle of the Bot-
tom Edge, about Four Inches wide,
and half an Inch in Height, which
will give free Liberty to the Bées to
pafs through, yet not be large enough
for their Enemy the A^oufe to enter.
In the back Part you muft eut a Hole
with a Rabbit in it, in which you
are to iîx a Pane of the cleareft and
beft Crown-Glafs, about Five Inches
in Lengthj and Three in Breadth,
and faften it with Putty. Let the
Top of the Glafs be placed, as high
as the Roof within-fide, that you
may fee the upper Part of the Combs,
where the Bées, with their Riches,
are nioftly placed. You will, by
that nicansj be better able to judge

of

( 15 )

of their State and Strength, tlian if
your Glafs was fixt in the Middle.
Such as are delirous of feeing more
of the Bées Works, may make the
Glafs as large as the Box vvill admit,
vvithout weakening it too much ;
which may be prevented by nailing a
little Slip of Board crofs the Bottom.
The Glafs mu fi: be covered with a
thin Pièce of Board, by Way of Shut-
ter, which may be made to hang
over the Glafs, by a Pièce of Tape,
going through the upper Part of the
Shutter, and fafliened on the Top of
the Box, by thrufting both Ends
into a Gimlet Fîole ; and after driv-
ing a Peg pretty hard into the Hole,
you may eut off the Peg clofe to the
Box.

As for the two other Sides of the
Box, which, for Diflindion Sake, I
cûl Em'isy they are not to be wholly

enclofed.

( i6 )
enclofed. A Space is to be left in
each End, near an Inch wide at the
Top, and another Space more than
an Inch wide at the Bottom: which
Spaces are to be extended in Length,
the whole Breadth of the Box. Thro'
thefe, the Bées are to hâve a Com-
munication from one Box to another.
To form thefe Communications, a
thin Pièce of Ait Deal mufl: be let into
the Edses of the Front and the back
Boards, fo as to be flufh with the
Edges of thofe Boards.

In the next Place, you are to pro-
vide a Pièce of Ait Deal, full half an
Inch thick, and large enough to co-
ver one of the Ends, but to be ufed
indifferently, fometimes at one End,
and fometimes at the other : for
which Reafon, it is not to be nailed,
but tied on, in the following Man-
ner3 viz, Take about three Quarters

of

( 17 )
of a Yard of prctty ftrong Tape,
which I chufe, bccaufe it is lefs apt
to relax and ilacken than Pack-
ihread. Fix one End of the Tape,
in the Front-Board, about Six In-
ches above the Mouth, and diredlly
over the Middle of it. Let this End
of the Tape be faftened in a Gimlet-
Hole, with a Peg drove hard in, and
then eut off clofe to the Board, as
vvas direéled for the Shutter. You
are next to bore a Hole on each Side
of your Glafs, Six Inches and a
Half from the Bottom of the Box :
into each of thefe Holes, drive a
Peg, which may ftand out more
than an Inch from the Box. Let
the Pegs be made of Afh, which is
a tough Wood, and let one End of
them be flat, that you may fcrue
them out or in, the more conveni-
ently. When this is done, take

G your

(i8)
your loofe End-Board, and fet ît in
its proper Place, fo that it may co-
ver one of the Ends, it matters not
vvhich : then drawing your Tape as
tight as you can over ic, faften the
End of it to one of the Pegs by the
Side of the Glafs. This will confine
your End-Board, and keep the up-
per Part of it clofe to the Box : and
if the lower Part fhould gape a Httle,
or ftart from the Box, you may keep
it tight, by a Nail or tvvo, drove fo
gently into the Stool, on which the
Box is placed, that you may, when-
ever you hâve Occafion, draw them
eut with your Fingers : Or, if you
like it better, you may add another
Tape, with Pegs as before, to go
crofs the lower Part of the End-
Board.

The Gimlet Holes I hâve direded,
need not be carried quite throughthe

Board,

(19)
Board, and it is better tliey fliould
not: for if any Part of the String ap-
pears v/ithin the Box, it will give Of-
fence to the Bées, and coft them a
great deal of Pains to pull it to Pie-
ces.

You hâve now only to fîx a Stick,
crofîing the Box from End to End,
about Three Inches from the Bot-
tom, to be a Stay to the Combs;
and when you hâve painted the
whole, tomakeit more durable, your
Box is finifhed.

The judicious Bee-Mafter, I hope,
will hère obferve, that the Form of
the Box I hâve been defcribing, is as
plain, as it is poffible for it to be.
It is little more than Three Square
Pièces of Board nailed together: fo
that a poor Cottager, who has but
Ingenuity enough to faw a Board
into the given Dimenfions, to fquare
C 2 it

(20)_

ît exadly, and to drive a Nail, may
make his own Boxes well enough,
without the Flelp, or the Expcnce
of a Carpenter.

C H A P. II.
Haw to hive a Swarm i7tto the Boxes»

/^ g ^ O do this, you are to take a
J, Box, witli one End-Board
tied to it (as before direéted) on your
Right Hand, and another Box, with
the End-Board tied to it on your Left
Hand; fet thefe two together, leav-
ing the Communications open from
one Box to another : then tye the
Boxes together, as faft as you can,
with a Stringgoing Five or Six Times
round them. The Boxes fhould not

be

be tied, till y ou are juft goîng to ufe
them, becaufe the String vvill grow
ilack with ftanding, and then the
Boxes vvill be apt to ûvf one from
the other, as y ou handle them.

Becarefulto tye the Shutters clofe
to the Glafs, that the Light may not
enter : for the Bées feem to look up-
on the Light, as a Hole, or Breach
in their Houfe, and, on that Ac-
count, may not fo vvell like their
new Habitation. But the principal
Thing to be obferved, at this Time,
is to cover the Boxes, as foon as ev^er
the Bées are hived, with a Lineu
Cloth, thrown loofely over them;
and it may be proper to lay fome
green Boughs upon them befides, to
protecl them from the piercing Heat
of the Sun. Boxes will admit the
Heat much fooner than Straw-Hives ;
and if the Bées find their Houfe too
I hot

( =2 )

Iiot for them, they will be wi/è e-
nough to leave it. In ail other Ref-
peds, they are to be hived in Boxes,
after the famé Manner as in common
Hives, which being well known, I
need not ftay to give particular Di-
rections concerning it.

CHAP. III.

In what Ma7iner a7td Situation to place
the Bées when hived*

R. Gedde^ and Mr. Warder^
hâve direéled very cojîly Bee^
Houfes (as it is fit they fliould) for
the Réception of their jine-wrought
Boxes. Thefe may ferve well enough
for an Ornaraent to a Gentleman's
Garden, or for the Amufcment of
the Curions : but my Endeavours are

chiefly

( 23 )

chiefly laid ont, and my Boxes în-
tencîed, for the Ufe and Advantage
of the induftrious Farmer, and poor
Cottager: and I do hère affure them,
from my own long Expérience, that
their Bées vvill be fafe, in thefe Box-
es, though they ftand in the open
Air, in the coldeft Winter. Be but
careful to fkreen them from the Sun^
and then bid Défiance to the puffing
Cheeks of Boreas : fkreen them from
the Summer Sun, becaufe the Heat
of it is greater than the Bées, or their
Works, can bear : and fkreen them
from the Winter Sun, the Warmth
of which will draw them from that
léthargie State, which is natural to
Bées, as vvell as many other Infeds,
in the Winter Seafon. A certain De-
gree of Cold, and a greater Degree
of it than is commonly imagined, is
favourable to Bées in Winter : it

chilis,

( 24 )
chillsj and benumbs their little Bo-
dies, fo that their animal Spirits are
very little wafted by Perfpiration, and
confeqiiently, there is little or no
Occafion to recruit them by Eating.
If a fharp Froft continues for the
Space of Two or Three Months, vvith-
out Intermiffion, you may obferve,
througli your Glaffes, that the Bées
are, ail this Time, clofely linked to-
îïether in Cluflers, betvveen the
Combs. If they are not altogether
vvithout Motion, yet 'tis certain they
ftir not from their Places, while the
Cold continues, and confequently eat
not at ail: and if fuch a Froft vvas
to laft ail the Winter, our Bées, I am
perfuaded, would be no Sufterers,
either by the Cold or by Fafting : on
the contrary, they would fave ail
their Winter Stores : and if vou could
fuppofc the Flowers to fpring fud-

denly

(25)

dcnly out of the Grourid, at the End
of this Froft, they would as fuddenly
recover thcir former Adivity, with
the returning Heat, and go forth to
their Labours, with their ufual Vi-
gour and Alacrity. This gives us a
plain, and the true Reafon, why
more Bées are obferved to die in warm
and open, than in cold and fevere
Winters : and for the famé Reafon,
Mr. Gedcle s Obfervation, I am confi-
dent, is a very juft one, that Bees^
jîanding on the North Skie of a Btiild-
i?tg^ whofe Height iîitercepts the Sun
Beams ail the Winter^ will wafle lefs of
their Provifon (almojî hy Half) than
others Jla?îding always in the Sun \ for
comi7îg feldom forth ^ they eat little^ and
y et in the Spri?îg are as forward to
work^ and tofwarjn^ as thofe that had
twice as miich Honey^ i7i the Autumn

before,

D Let

(26)

Let yoiir Bées therefore be fo pla-
ced, that the Sun may not fhine
upon them at ail in the Winter, to
entice them Abroad, vvhen they can
get nothing but an Appctite, which,
though it be neceflary to the Health
of a Man, is not always requifite to
the Health of an Infeél.

As for the Summer Sun, though
the Boxes (as I hâve faid) muft be
carefully proteded from it, the ex-
perienced Bee-Mafter will eafily un^
derftand my Meaning, viz, that it
muil not be fufFered to dart its Rays
on the Top, or Sides of the Boxes,
which they will by no means bear ;
but it ought to fhine on the Skirts of
them, where the Entrance for the
Bées is made, which will be of Ser-
vice to thern, in many Refpedls.

Your Boxes muft likewife be ftiel-
tered from Rain, as common Hives

are;

( 27 )

are ; for the Wet getting in betv/een
thc Joints, vvill caufe the Combs to
mould, and otherwifc incommode
the Bées. The folio wing eafy F rame
will fufficiently défend them botli
from Sun and Rain.

Getapretty thick Board Seven Feet
and a Half long, and One Inch wider
thanthe Boxes, for your Floor. Let the
upper Side of it be very fmooth and
even, that the Boxes may ftand true
upon it: then iîx in the GroundFour
Oaken Pofts, about the Bignefs of
fuch as are ufed for dry in g Linen.
Let the Pofts, or Pillars, be faftencd
together at each End vvith a ftrcng
Pièce of Board, about a Foot from
the Ground in this Form, J c for the
Ends of the Floor to reft upon. This
Floor muft be fupportcd in the Mid-
dle, to keep it from fwagging: you
may then place on it Thrce Colonies
D 2 or

(28)

or Setts of Boxes, confifting of Threc
Boxes to a Sett. And there will be
Room, if Need be, to add a fourth,
to one of the Setts. There fhould
be feveral AwQ;er-Holes bored in
proper Places in your Pillars,
in which Holes you are to thruft
pretty ftrong wocden Pins, on
which, Floors may be fupported for
Two more Rows of Boxes. Thefe
'Floors muft be placed, in Summer,
Four or Five Inches above the Boxes
underneath : in "Win ter they may be
let dovvn, fo as to lye flat upon the
Boxes, which will keep them clofer,
and warmer. You are then to dé-
fend them from the Sun by placing
thin loofe Boards, one upon another,
edgeways, from Pillar to Pillar, in the
Front, remembring to eut Niches
in thefe Boards, over againfl: every
Mouth, or Entrance into the Boxes:

Then

(29)

Then make fome Larxding-Boards,
for the Bées to pitch upon, in the
following Manner : Take a Pièce of
Board three or Four Inches wide, and
in Length, about Six Inches on one
Edge, but fhorter on the other. On
one Side of this, clofe to each End,
nail a SHp of Wood, fo that it may
extend about Tvvo Inches beyond the
Board, See Figure L. Thruft the
Two Ends ftanding out, into the
Mouthof the Box, fo that the Land-
ing- Board may corne clofe to the
Floor, and be level with it, or rather
bending a Httle dovvnwards.

The laft Thing you are to provide,
is a Cover or Roof for the vvhole,
which had befl: be a moveable one.
This may be made with Two broad
Boards, or Four narrow ones fcather-
edged, faflened together, in the Form
of the Roof of a Houfe, only much

flatter,

■ (30)
flatter. In thîs Roof, you may make

Four Holes, for the Tops of the Four

Pillars to go into, which will be a

fufficient Stay or Faftening for it, and

you may let it down, or raife it up,

according to the Number of your

Boxes, or take it quite off, whenever

there is Occalion. I hâve only to

add, that every Part of the Frame

fhould be VvtII painted, to make it

bear the Weather, and be the more

lafting.

CHAP. IV.

How to order the Bées in the Boxes,

AviNG hived a Swarm inTwo
Boxes, as before direded, and
placed them, in the Evening, where
they are to remain ; the String, vvith

which

(3i)

which you tied tlie Boxes together,
may then be taken off : and the Shut-
ters for your Glaflès being at Liberty,
obferve which of the Boxes the Bées
hâve made Choice of, for their pre-
fent Refidence, and flop the Mouth
of that Box with a Slip of Board, the
End of which is iîtted to theOpening,
fo that they may work only out of
the empty Box: The Reafon of
which will appear by and by. Af-
ter a few Days, if the Weather be
fine, your Httle Labourers will fliew
you a beautiful Spécimen of their
Work : You will lèe, with Pleafure,
Two or Three délicate, white, and
almoft tranfparent Combs, appear a-
mong the Bées. They will fiU one
Box with their Works, before they
begin in the other ; foon after they
hâve begun in the fécond, it will be
proper to give them a third, which is

thus

(32)

thus performed. Your provicient Bées,
by this Time, vvill havejoined the
End-Board to the Box, ail round
the iipper Communication, with a
gluey Sort of Refin, which the An-
cients called Propolis ^ for they are
careful to llop every little Hole or
Crevice that is found in their Houfes,
with this refiny Subftance, juft as we
careen our Ships with Pitch and Tar.
You are therefore to take a thin Knife,
and eut through this Refin, till you
find the End-Board at Liberty. Af-
ter this, you muft loofen tlle String
that ties this Board, and having pro-
vided a Sheet of double Tin, thruft it
gently between the Box and the End-
Board, to feparate them : then taking a-
way the Board, fet an empty Box in the
Room of it. Which done, with a
gentle HanddrawawayyourTin, and
thruft the new Box clofe to the other,.
I Your

( 33 )
Your Bées will be pleafed with this
Addition to their Habitation. In-
ftead of aDwelling oî Straw^ which
is no better than living in a Barn^
you had before given them a Hall-^
and Parlour^ neatly wainfcoted : and
now you furnifh them with a Draw-
ing-Room^ where for fome time, they
may cool and refrefh themfelves in a
fultry Day, and afterwards fîll it with
their Stores.

You are hère Hkewife to remem-
ber, that the Mouth of this third Box
muft be ftopped Hke the firft, that
their Entrance may be oniy in the fé-
cond or middle Box.

E CHAP.

(34)

CHAP. V.

How to take awqy Part oj the Ho-
ney-, withotit defiroying^ or much
dijîu7'bîng the Bées,

NO true Lover of Bées, I am
perfuaded, ever lighted the
fatal Match, that was to deftroy his
little Innocents, with Hvid Fiâmes,
and a Smoak, that ftrikes them dead
with its intolérable Stench, without
much Concern and Uneafinels. Be-
lides; we are not to imagine, that
the bountiful Creator, who has in-
deed given us ail Things richly to
e7ijoy^ has likewife given us • fuch an
uncontrollable Righty of Life and
Death^ over ail his Créatures, that
we may kill them at, and for our
Pleafure, I know no Right we hâve

over

( 35 )
over the Life oï the meaneft Infedl,

or vileft Worm that creeps upon the
Earth, unlefs the killiiig it be, fome
way or other, ufeful and bénéficiai to
us. We may take away the Lives of
our Cattle, in order to fupport our
own vvith the Flefli of theni : but it
would be a criminal Pièce of Cruelty,
as well as Folly, to butcher an in-
nocent Sheep, meerly for the Sake of
its Fleece, which we might take again
and again without hurting it. If
then we can take froni our Bées, a
confiderable Quantity of their fuper-
fluous Honey and Wax, without in-
j 11 ring them ; if they will work for us
another, and many other Years, and
every Year pay us fair and reafonable
Contributions; why fhould we treat
f/jem with unneceflary Cruelty, and
hurt ourfelves by a Greedinefs, that
will turn to our Préjudice? Avarice
E 2 often

(36)
often mîftakes its own Intereft. k
never can be niade to underftand, or
believe, that Dimidium plus toto. It is
evidently more to our Advantage, to
fpare the Lives of our Bées, and be
content with Part of their Stores, than
to kill, and take PoiTefTion of the
Whole.

We hâve long fince been direded
how to do this, in the Ufe of Mr.
Geddes Boxes: But the Method pre-
fcribed, is fo tedious and difficult,
and fo perilous too to the Operator,
that it has very rarely been pradifed,
and hardly ever attended with Succefs.
The Method I would recommend, and
which I pradife myfelf, with Eafe
and Safety, and high Delight, is as
foUows :

About the middie of Aiigtift^ by
a Httle Infpedion through your
Glafies, you may eafily difcover,

which

( 37 )
which of your Colonies y ou may lay

under Contribution. Such as hâve
hlled Three Boxes, will pretty rea-
dily yield you one of them, vvhica is
paying you a larger Tax, than any
other free-Britons^ < except the Men of
Totnefs^) would be willing to comply
vvith, viz, Seven Shillings in the
Pound. It is beft to take the Box
vvhere there are feweft Bées, becaufe
the Queen-Bee is not likely to be
there. The propereft Time, is about
Tvvo or Three o'Clock in the After-
noon ; and though the Bées are aélive
and bufy at this Time of Day, yet as
you ftand behind the Frame, you will
need no Armour for the Attack, ex-
cept, perhaps, a Pair of Gloves, and
a broad brimmed Hat flouched over
your Eyes. The Opération itfelf is
no more than this : Open the Mouth
of the Box you are going to feize ; or

it
4

( 38 )

it may be better if you opcn only

that half of it, which is furthefi: from

the middle Box : then, with a thin

Knife, eut throiigh the Refin with

which the Bées hâve joined this Box

to the middle one, till you find you

hâve feparated them: after which,

thrufl: your Sheet of Tiii gently be-

tween the Boxes, and your Work is

done ; and you will, with Pleafure

and Surprize, obferve the EfFeâ:s of

it: for the Communication being

ftopped, the Bées in the two Boxes

(where it is moft Hkeîy their Queen

is) will be a Httle difturbed at the O-

peration, but thofe in the fingle Box

will appear diftraâ:ed. They foon

become fenfible, that their Sovereign

is not amongfl: them : they then run

to and fro in the utmoft Hurry and

Confufion, and fend forth a mourn-

ful Cry, eafily to be diftinguiflied from

their

( 39 )
their other Notes. Immediately it is
proclaimed, throughout the Territo-
ries, that the Society is dijfolved,
Aîniffd riipere Jidem ; and that every
one is to iliift for himfelf as well as
he can. Accordingly, they iffue ont
at the new Door you hâve opened for
them; but not in a Body, as vvhen
they fvvarm, for the Eody, with Re~
fpedl to this Box, is no more. Nor
do thèy corne ont, with that calm and
cheerful Adlivity, as vvhen they go
forth to their Labours ; but now and
then a Bee or two burfts out, with a
wild Flutter, and in a vifible Rage
and Diforder: but this is quickly
over; for no fooner are they got
abroad, but they fpy their Fellows,
and fly to them with eager Hafte, at
the ufual Mouth of the middle Box :
and knowing very well, by the Cahii-
nefs of their Behaviour, that the Queen

is

(40 )
is fafe, and rejoicing at being agaiii
reftored to the Common-wealth, they
either forget, in the midft of their
TranfportSj or do not at ail regret
the Lofs of the Riches they hâve
left behind them. Thus in an Hour
or two, (for they go out flowly) you
will hâve a Box of pure Honey, with-
out a lîving Eee in it to moleft you,
and without dead Bées too, as you
alvvays hâve, w^hen you burn them,
which are mingled with your Honey,
and both wafte and damage it.

Vv^hen you carry off the Prize,
(which having fo fairly taken, you
may with a fare Confciencecondemn,
and enjoy with Pleafure) you are to
fet an End-Board in the Room of it,
for they will hâve no Occafion for an
empty Box before the following Spring:
then drav/ing away your Tin, and ty-
ing the End-Board as tight as you can,

with

(41)
ivith your Tape, you may take your

Leave of them, wifhing them a cold

JVinter^ and a fou?id Sleep till Fe^

bruary.

CHAP. VI.

Of the Adva7îtages of thefe Boxes ahove
Straw-Hives^ or the Boxes i?ivented
byMr. Gedde.

I . TV T O Part of the Honey can
i^ betakenoutofStraw-Hives,
without deftroying the Bées: (for
driving them, is, in efFeâ:, deftroy-
ing them) and this.you are obliged to
do, when your Hives are three or
four Years old; becaufe then the
Combs (net the Bées, as is vulgarly
fuppofed) growold, andunfitfor Ufe:
and our Bées, for what Reafon I
F knovi

( 42 )

know not, will not demolifli their
old Combs, in order to make new
ones: fo that by burning your old
Hives^ and your poor ones^ neither
of which yield much Honey, you
commonly lefîen your Stock, as much,
or more, than your Swarms will make
good. Whereas in the Ule of thefe
Boxes, you are every Year^ by Swarms,
encreafing your Stock y and barring
Accidents, and excepting that you
muft, now and then, burn a very
poor one, you ?îevej^ dwtinijlj it. For
your Boxes, in this Method, are ail of
them, by Succeffion, fupplied with
new Gombsy before the old ones are
decayed: and as for the Bées, if you
guard them from Accide?2ts^ and fave
them from Pcvertyy they will conti-
nue, by Succeffion, to the E^id of
the World,

2. In

( 43 )
2. In this Method, you may, with

very little Trouble, cither give them

more^ or confine them in lejs Room^

as there iiiall be Occafion. If, in

the Spring, you confine them to two

Boxes, which areequaito a fmallHive,

this vvill caule them to fwarm early :

if you allow them three, which con-

tain as much as a large Hive, your

Svvarms will be later, but larger : the

latter, I beUeve, will, for the moft

Part, turn to beft Account. After

the firft Svvarm, it vvill be a greater

Advantage to you than is commonly

imagined, toaddathird, or, if need

be, a fourth Box, to prevent fécond

and late Svvarms. By this Means, ail

yOur Colonies will be v/ell ftocked with

Bées, in which their Safety chiefly

confifts : for whenever a Hive is re-

duced, by over-fwarming, or other-

wife, to a fmall Number of Bées,

F 2 they

(44)
they commonly become a Prey to
Robbers, orMoths, or fome other of
their Enemies : and though they ef-
cape their Enemies, they feldom
profper. If your Situation be good,
andtheSeafon favourable, fuch Colo-
nies as require afourth Box toprevent
fécond Swarms, will ufually allow
you tô take two Boxes from them in
the Autumn.

3. Your Bées will be much better
proteâred from their Enemies y in thefe
Boxes, than in Hives, Mice pretty
frequently make their Way througb
Straw-Hives, and deftroy them, but
tinlefs you make the Mouthtoo large,,
they can no Ways enter your Boxes*

The Moth is, in Appearance, the
weakeft of ail their Enemies, yet de-
« ftroys more Bées, than ail their Ene-
mies beiides. She lays her Eggs, un-
der the Skirts of the Hives, and the
I Warmth

(45)
Warnith of the Bées hatcli them to

their ovvn Deftrudion. From the Egg
ifïues forth a fmall whitidi Worm, or
Caterpillar, which inftantly fpins it-
felf a fine, filken Sheath, or Gallery,
which proteéls it from the Attacks of
the Bées: for thefe Galleries being
wrought Hke a Spider's Webb, the
Bées avoid them, it may be fuppofed,
for Fear of being entangled therein.
Thefe Worms, as they increafe in
Bulk, enlarge their Galleries, till they
reach the Combs, when putting out
their Heads, which are armed with
Scales, as with a Helmet, and fo im-
pénétrable by the Bées Stings, they
fecurely feed on and devour their cu-
rions Works, till the poor difcreiîèd
Bées are forced to abandon their Ha-
bitation.

My Boxes, I freely own, will not
fecure the Bées from thefe dangerous

Enemies ;

(46)
Enemîes ; but they are not, I hâve
Reafon to think, fo miich infefted
with them as Hives are. Befides,
there is a Remedy to be had in Boxes,
which Hives will not admit of ; for
by Means of the Glafs Lights, you
may difcover the Moths, before they
hâve done much Damage; and you
may take away the infeded Box, and
fave the others ; or you may clear it
of Moths, and then reftore it to the
right Owners.

4. în the Ufe of thefe Boxes, you
are furnifhed with the only Method of
preferving poor Stocks by feeding
them. The bcft Way hitherto prac-
tifed, is to give them a large Quan-
tity of Honcy in September^ moft of
which, ii melted, and mixed with
Water, to bring it to a proper Con-
fîftency, they will lay up in their
Combs for thcir Win ter Store. I hâve

niany

(47)
many Times, tried this Metliod ; and
my Bées hâve periflied vvith Hunger,
with a good deal of this Honey re-
maining in their Combs. This, I
think, can no Way be accounted for,
unlefs we fuppofe, that the Honey,
thus thinned with Water, will not
keep, ail Winter, in the open Cells ;
for the Bées never féal it up, as they
do the Reft of their Honey : or elfe,
that the crude Wax, commonly called
Bee-Breadj with which every Hive is
ftored, is as neceffa?y to their Subiifl:-
ence as Honey ; and that when
this is ail fpent, Honey alone will not
keep the m fiovn perijhing.

But if your Bées are in the Boxes I
hâve defcribed, you hâve an eafy and
effedual Method of preferving Part
at leaft of your weak Colonies : For
you hâve Nothing more to do, than
to burn the Bées of one poor Stock,

and

(48)
and fet the Boxes, or one of them,
with ail the Combs to another. By
this Means, the Bées y ou fave, are
iupplied with a frefh Store both of
Bread and Honey, in their natural
State ; and enjoy the Labours of their
fufFering Brethren, in the famé Man-
ner, as they do their own. This,
the good-natured Bee-Mafter, it is
hoped, will comply with, now and
then, though it be with Reluclance,
fince there is, in this Café, a cruel
Neceffity, either of dejîroy'mg one
Stock to preferve another, or of fuffer-
ing both of them to perifh.

5. Itwill not, I think, beneceflàry
to fay much concerning the Advan-
tasfes of thefe Boxes, above thofe
of Mr. Gedde. His Boxes are direded
to be each as large as a Bufliel; and
they are to be raifed, one upon ano-
ther, three Storics high, wdth a Hole

of

{ 49 )
of Communication in the Top of
each Box. Now when the poor
Bce, afcer traverfing the Fields far
and wide, returns Home vveary and
heavy laden, She has Occafion, per-
haps, to depoiit her Burden, uptvvo
Pair of Stairs in the Garret. The
lower Room, 'tis Kkely, is not yet fur-
nifhed vvith Stairs, /. e, with Combs :
For our Uttle Architeds, you knovv,
lay the Foundation of their Structures
at the Top, and build dovvnwards.
In this Café, the weary Httle Labou-
rer, is to drag her Crura l'hyjiio ple?ja
up the Sides of the Walls. When
She has doue this, She will travel,
many Times, backwards and forwards,
(as I hâve frequently feen) along the
Roof, before She finds the Door, or
Paffage into the fécond Story. Hère
again, She is perplexed with a like
puzzling Labyrinth, before She gets

G into

( 50 )
înto the Third. What a Wafte is
liere, of that precious Time, which
our Bées value fo much, and which
they employ fo vvell ? And what an
Expence ofStrength, and Spirits, on
which their Support and SuPcenance
dépends? whereas, in the Collatéral
Eoxes, the Rooms are ail on the
Ground-Floor : and becaufe I know
Tuj Bees are wife enough, to value
Convenience more than State, I hâve
made them of fuch a moderate, tho'
décent, Height, that they hâve much
lefs Way to ciimb to the Top of them,
than they hâve to the Crov/n of a
çommon Hive.

6. TheDifficultyof drivingthe Bees
eut of Mr. Geddes Boxes, in order to
take the Honey, has been touched
upon before ; as likevvife the vaft Ex-
pence of them ; which alone, had
they been never fo well contrived in

other

( 51 )
other Refpecls, would be fufficîcnt

to prevent their being brought into

commoii Ufe. The Expence of my

Boxes, and of the Frame I hâve de-

fcribed, if you make a reafonable

Allovvance for the Diiratioft of them,

will notj I am confident, prove

o^reater in the E7id. than the Charo;e

of Straw-Hives, and of the Frames

that are made, in moft Places, for

their Réception : and a great deal of

this Expence may be faved, where

the Bee-Mafter will be fo pro vident,

as to fave or procure Ends and Rem-

nants of Boards, of little Value,

vvhich may ferve very vvell for this

Purpofe. The Charge of the Frame,

too, may be faved, if he can fpare a

Place vvithin any of his Buildings (ef-

pecially if they be boarded) where he

may fix his Stools for the Boxes to

ftand on, making Holes at proper

G 2 Diftances

(52)

Diftances for the Bées to work out at :
nor need he be very folicitous con-
cerning the Afpeâ:, or Height of his
Buildings : for I hâve known Bées
thrive well, and get a large Quantity
of Honey, which were placed almoft
at the Top of a high Turret in 7r/-
nity Collège^ and on the North Side
ofit.

The Conclusion.

A VIN G now fully inflruded
the candid Reader, in the
Strudure, Ufe, and Advantages of
my Boxes, I fhould hère leave him
to calculate, by hiinfelf, his future
Profits^ in this ?îew Met Iiod of mcinag-
ing his Bées, but that I am a little
afraid he will reckon too fait ; and

this

(53)
this I tlilnk myfelf bound in Confci-

ence to prevent. " I hâve now got
half a Dozen old Hives, fays the ho-
neft CountrymanjandI vvill imme-
diately order my Carpenter, to make
Col — what d'y»^ call'um, Boxes, for
ail my Swarms. Every Swarm I get,
will add to my Stock ; and I fliall
hardly be fuch a Pool, as to leffen it
any more, by burfi'mg ÛiQpoorthings.^
fince I can get Honey and Wax e-
nough for the Market without it. So
thisSummer, if I hâve any Luck, I
fhall hâve Six Swarms at leaft, then
the Numberof my Colonies, as the
Parfon calls 'em, will beTwelve : the
next Summer, I fhall hâve Twenty
Pour; and fobydoublingmy Stock
every Year, I fhall foon hâve as ma-
ny as my îittle Garden will hold.'*
The Romantick Lady, in the enter-

taining Hifiory of Bees^ tranflated

from

( 5+ )
from the French in 1744, has qiiite
outdone my Countiyman, in her
Computations. Her Philofopher had
told her of a wild and impraticable
Mcthod, of taking Part of the Ho-
ney, and faving the Lives of her
Bées, by driving them into a Corner
of the Hive, by the Smoak of a Rag,
while the Operator (bold Man!)
fhould pare away with his Knife, as
many of the Combs as he thought
proper. Upon this, the charitable
Lady, tranfported with the Difco-
very, forms the following benevolent
Scheme, for the Beneiit of her poor
Neighbours. Rvery Inhabitant ofmy
Hamiety lâys fhe, Jloall he provided
with two Hives» Rvery Hive^ [in
France] wili^ o?îe with the other^ p^o-
duce two good Swamis^ fo a Ma7t who
is 720W pojfejfed of Two Hives^ will hâve
Six 7iext Tear^ Eighteen the foIIowi77g^

Fifty

■ ( 55 )
Fifty four the four^th^ mîd the Fifth a
Hiindred aiid Sixty iwo^ and so on.
The good Lady, I think, might hâve
been content (but her Charity knew
no Bounds) with the laft-mentioned
Number, and fpared her &^c.

This vvas Hkewife the ferions Lan-
guage of Grejlda^n Collège^ in the Ap-
probation above mentioned, vvhich I
am forry fliculd corne again in my
Way. Thîis mtich (fay they) . may
certainly be affirmed^ that hy tke Me~
thods laid dow?î in Mr. Gedde's Trea-
tife^ i?2 few Years^ there need not be
any or few Poor^ in the Land. Every
Cottager^ havingbut Room to keepBees
in^ may^ from one Stocks in a fmall
'Time^ raife Twenty^ which^ with Utile
Care and Labour^ may be better thhn
7'e2î Pounds per Amîtun to him, How
great is the Pity, that not one Cot-
tager (I beHeve) in the Space of Four-
2 fcore

{ 56 )
icore Years, has been prevailed on,
to take this eafy and certain Method
of growing rich ? for my Part, I am
far from expeéling fuch great Things
from my prefent Undertaking : and
yet, if confidcred as a Projedlor, I
am not fenfible, that î want a pro-
per Afîurance^ and my Reader, I
fancy, by this Time, may be of the
famé Opinion. But being now al-
moft ready to take my Leave of îiim,
I will tell liim honeftly, and feri-
oufly, what he is to expedt, if it
fhall pleafe him to make Trial of my
Boxes. In a few Years, I will ven-
ture to promiie him, he will encreafe
his Stock, to as great a Nimiber, as
the Flowers in his Neighbourhood
will maintain, but my Affurance
will carry me no further ; and fad
Expérience has taught me, that in
fome Situations, like this, in which

I am

(57)
I am myfelf (in this one Refpedl) un-

happily placed, that Number will be

found very fmall. There are now,

in the Village where I dwell, which

is a large one, only Ten Hives or

Colonies of Bées : and thouQrh we

hâve beautiful Meads, and fine Gar-

dens, in which Flora difclofes ail her

Treafures, yet for want of a free and

open Air, (as I conjedure) in thefe

thick Enclofures, our Flowers vield

fo little Food for the poor Bées, that

no greater Number, I am well fatis-

fied, than what 1 hâve mentioned,

or thereabouts, can get a Subfiftence

in this Place : whereas, in the neigh*»

bouring bleak County of Cambridge^

where the Inundations of the Fens,

or the Farmer's Plow, or the Flocks

that are grazing (fhould I fay, or

ftarving?) on barren Heaths, will

fuffer hardly any Flowers to fpring,

H pr

(58)
or open their Bloflbms, (excepting
the Flowers of Eloquence^ whichthrive
exceedingly on the Banks of Cam>
but thefe aiFord only a thin Sort of

yuice Netîareous
fitter for Poets to feed upon than
Bées ;) yet hère, I fay, there is fuch
a Profufion of Honey, in the few
Flowers that efcape, that I hâve feen
between Seventy and Eighty Hives in
one Farmer's Yard : and this, jufl: af-
ter the Inquijition was over, and he
had been 77îurdering ail he intended
to murder that Seafon. And thefe
Hives, I know too well, were much
better ftored with Honey, than any
are found to be in thefe Parts.

Now fhould this honeft Farmer^
by way of rewarding me for thefe my
Labours, for his Benefit, make me a
Prefent of Forty or Fifty of his Co-
lonies, and fhould be fo kind as to

bring

(59)
bring and place them in my Garden,
what, think you, would be the Con-
fcquence of his Generofity ? Nothing
lefs than a dreadful Famine. The
New-comers would be ftarved them-
felves, and would ftarve ail my poor
Neighbours Bées, for Three or Four
Miles round me. They would be fo
far from laying up any thing for a
Winter's Day, that many of them, l
believe, would die for Want, in the
midft of Summer.

I hâve often thought it very fur-
prizing, that neither the Authors who
treat of Bées, nor the Keepers of them,
ever imagine, that any Place can be
over-ftocked, or that any one s Bées
fare either better or worfe, for the
laro-er or fmaller Stock that is kept in
his Neighbourhood. They think, it
feems, that every Flower they fee, is
a never-failing Cruife of Honey. Let

H 2 me

(6o)

me hère acknowledge the Bounty of
our Creator, and with due Thankful-
nefs and Admiration confefs, that, in
fome Senfe, it is fo : For when a Bee,
with its Httle îambent Trunk, has
cleared a Flowerof ail \X.% prefe7it Store^
another cornes, 'tis likely, in lefs than
a Minute, and finds foinethî?tg : For
the delicious Juice is continually
fweating thro' the Pores of the Plant.
But, 'tis certain, for ail this, that the
more of thefe Guefts vifit a Flower,
the worfe muft each of them fare :
They willhave the lefs to carry Home,
or, which is ail one, they muft go
further, and fpend more of their pre-
cious Time, before they can make up
their Burden.

This Confideration gives a mighty
Check, I mufl; own, to the Expeda-
tions I fhould otherwife hâve from
my new Boxes. Was it not for this, I

could

(61)
could be as bold, and as large in my
Promifes, as the Undertakers that
hâve gone before me. I could tell my
Coimtrymen, that I would take upon
me to maintain ail their Poor, and
make their Rates needlefs.

But this is not my Language. My
Country, I flatter myfelf, will reap
fome Benefit from the Pains I hâve
taken. There is Reafon to believe,
that in many Parts of the Kingdom,
the little Labourers in Honey and
Wax, are not fufficient for the Har-
veji ; and my Method of managing
Bées, if follovved, muft unavoidably
encreafe the Number of themj and
will encreafe it fo far, that ail the
Honey and Wax which the Flowers
of our Climate will yield, will be col-
leded into their Store-Houfes. And
this, perhaps, may be a Saving to the
Nation, of ail that Money, with

which

( 62 )

which we purchafe bafe and adulte-
rate Commodities of this Sort, im-
ported from Abroad.

I fhall likewife, I hope, hâve the
Satisfadion to find, that many of the
poorer Sort will be henejited^ tho' not
enrkhed^ by this Method. My Scheme,
I am well affured, will furnifh them
with Stoch^ at a cheap and eafy Rate ;
but I muft tell them once more, that
they mujfl: find Pajïure.

P O S T-S C R I P T.

WH I L E thefe Sheets were in
thePrefs, the Author was
informed, that the Royal Society
thankedthe Gentlemen who communi-
cated Mr. Geddes Invention to them :
and that it is faid in their "TrmfaEii-

mis

(!^

(63)

ons (Vol. viii.) that his Methodof ma-
7îacrin<r Becs had been ufed in Scotland
with good Succefs : But that they gave
him no Authority to prefix to his
Book a fonnal Approbation in their
Name, as he has done. The Reader,
therefore, is defired to look upon this
pretended Approbation, as the Effeâ:
of Mr. Geddes own Vanity and Falf-
hood : and the worthy Gentlemen of
the Society will excufe, it is hoped,
the Author's fpeaking of it, as it did^
and ?nujl appear to him, before he re-
ceived the above Information,

FINIS.